1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to an organic light-emitting display apparatus and a method of manufacturing the organic light-emitting display apparatus, and more particularly, to an organic light-emitting display apparatus capable of preventing permeation of external impurities such as oxygen or water vapor and a method of manufacturing the organic light-emitting display apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In these days, thin-film portable flat panel display apparatuses are commonly used instead of conventional display apparatuses. Among flat panel display apparatuses, electroluminescent display apparatuses are regarded as a next-generation display apparatus because they are self-emissive display apparatuses and have a wide viewing angle, a high contrast ratio, and a short response time. In addition, organic light-emitting display apparatuses including an emission layer formed of an organic material have a higher brightness, a lower driving voltage, and a shorter response time than inorganic light-emitting, display apparatuses. Furthermore, organic light-emitting display apparatuses can produce a full-color image.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional organic light-emitting display apparatus. Referring to FIG. 1, a display unit 20 is disposed on a substrate 10, and an encapsulation substrate 30 is disposed over the display unit 20. The substrate 10 is combined with the encapsulation substrate 30 by using a sealant 41.
A flat panel display device, such as, for example, an organic light-emitting device included in a flat panel display apparatus, easily deteriorates due to internal and external factors. Internal factors include deterioration of an emission layer due to oxygen from indium tin oxide (ITO) used to form an electrode, and deterioration caused by a reaction between an emission layer and an interface of the emission layer and adjacent layers. External factors include permeation of external water vapor, oxygen and ultra violet rays, and device manufacturing conditions. In particular, external water vapor and greatly affect the lifetime of a device. Thus, packaging of an organic light-emitting device is very important.
However, in the conventional organic light-emitting display apparatus as illustrated in FIG. 1, when the substrate 10 is combined with the encapsulation substrate 30 by using a conventional sealant 41, impurities such as external oxygen or water vapor may permeate into the conventional organic light-emitting display apparatus through the interface of the sealant 41 and the encapsulation substrate 30, thereby damaging the display unit 20. In addition, the sealant 41 may easily break by impact.